Summer in America
by Angel's Dust
Summary: it's set when the girls are about 18, 19. one of them goes overseas and tells the rest a tale of a summer romance.


I stepped down onto the concrete. My long hair glistened in the late summer sun. I smiled; it was good to be back home. I'd had a long, exhausting summer. I hurried into the airport terminal, keeping my eyes open for my ride. "Minako!" I heard someone yell from the side. Turning, I saw Usagi running in my direction, arms out wide. Rei, Ami, and Makoto were trailing right behind. I let my bags drop to the ground and got ready for my friend's embrace. They bomb-barded me with questions. "How was it?" "Was your flight okay?" "What did you do there?" "Are there cute boys there?" "What does it look like?" "Was it fun?" and "What are the people like?" At once they were all speaking.  
"Quiet!" I yelled, hoping for some order, "look, I'll tell you all about it when we get home." Ami helped me with my bags as we walked out to the car.  
  
Back at my house, we all sat in the living room. "So…" Usagi, being impatient, pleaded, "tell us already! How was your trip?"  
I smiled. I honestly didn't think she would survive the ride back without asking once. But, to my surprise, she did. I knew they would all want every possible detail, so I would have to drag it out as long as I could, to keep them wondering.   
"We want to know every detail," Makoto told me what I already knew.  
"Okay, well, when I got there, it was midday, sunny out. I took a cab to my hotel…"   
  
I walked up to the clerk at the front desk. He was typing something into the computer and muttering incoherently to himself. Complaining, I assumed. When my elbows appeared on the desk, he glared up at me from behind a pair of thin-rimmed glasses. "May I help you?"   
"Um…" I felt slightly intimidated, "yeah. I'm Minako Aino." He pressed a few buttons on the keyboard in front of him.   
"Room 306, third floor," grabbing the key from behind the desk, "You have two sets of keys," he handed them to me.   
"Thank you," I responded and headed for the elevator.   
  
I was turning the corner of the third floor when I crashed head first into something. I looked in front of me, to see what I'd hit, and saw the black jeans of someone, a guy, I assumed, from the style. Continuing on up, seeing a red plaid shirt over a black one, I found my assumption was correct. "I'm so sorry," he apologized, "I didn't see you." Holding out his hand to me, I grasped.   
"It's okay," I told him. When I was off the ground, I leaned down to grab my bags and ended up hitting my head into his. "Ouch!" I responded.   
"I'm so sorry…" he said once again, "here, I'll carry your bags to your room if you want…" he told me as he grabbed them up.   
Rubbing my head, I told him, "You're welcome to if you really want. I'm in 306."   
  
"Wait up!" Usagi interrupted me, "was he cute?"  
I blushed and continued on, ignoring her question, "Anyway, as we were walking to my room...."  
  
I smiled as we had a short discussion. "So, are you going to tell me your name, or are you just going to keep crashing into me?" I joked.  
"As tempting as it sounds, running into you, I'll pass. I don't want to break you." I laughed as he continued, "My name, for the record, is Westley. Westley Moore. And you are…?"  
  
"Westley?" Ami commented. "That's a strange name."  
I beamed at her, memories filing through my mind, "I know."  
  
  
"Minako, Minako Aino."  
"Minako… that's cute," he commented. "Where are you from?"  
"Japan. You're staying here too, right? Where are you from?"   
"Chicago. I'm here for the summer," he smiled at me. "Well, here we are."  
"Yeah," I sighed. I walked in, breathless at the size of my suite, "wow."  
"Yeah," Westley smiled. "I had the same reaction when I saw my room."   
  
"Oh, come on Minako! Get on with the story. I want to hear the good parts!" Makoto told me.   
"So, you want me to skip around?" I asked, already knowing the answer.  
"Yeah," Usagi agreed.   
"Okay," I told them, "just the good parts." I thought for a moment, "okay, how about this one…"  
  
  
I walked out to the lobby, waiting for Chastity, a friend I'd made from work. We were going to have lunch out and then go shopping. We ate lunch in a park; hotdogs, chips, and sodas. This was my new life for the time being. I was going to enjoy every moment of it, too.  
It took us four hours before we dropped from shopping. I retired to my suite, feet aching with every step I took. When I finally sat on my bed, ready to fall asleep, there was a knock at my door. Groaning, I got up, my feet still aching, and forced myself to the door. Opening it, I found Westley in front of me, with a smile on his face and a blue rose in his hand. I gasped at the sight of it, I'd never seen a rose of that color before, and its beauty was astounding.   
  
  
"He bought you a flower!?" Ami was in shock.   
"Yeah," I told my friends sheepishly, "he did…"  
"Wow," Makoto commented, "how sweet."  
  
He held his hand out to me. "For me?" I asked him, stupid question, I know.   
"Yeah, I thought you'd like it," he told me as I took the flower out of his grip.  
I smiled into his eyes, "Thank you, it's beautiful."  
  
A week later, Westley asked me to see a movie with him, and of course, since I wasn't stupid, I said yes. Afterwards, we went for a walk through the park. That was where I found my favorite tree. We sat under an oak tree, watching the stars, for hours. He pointed out constellations to me one after the other. It was the only time I was really interested in astronomy.   
  
  
As the night went on, I told of the different things we did together: skating, walks in the parks, late night chats, all the movies we saw… even though I was in the city for a full five weeks, it seemed to go by so fast. And when the time came to say goodbye to the friend's I'd made, I didn't want to. I promised Chastity I would write her and maybe a call on occasion, if I ever really needed to talk.   
My friends were all enthralled with what had happened in the US. But mostly, they wanted to know about Westley. "Are you going to see him again?" Rei asked me.   
"I don't know," I told her. "Maybe someday I will, you never know."  
  
  
When everyone finally left, it was eleven o'clock. I laid awake in my bed, thinking about the last month of my life. My eyes were filled with tears. I closed my eyes, and thought of the last time I'd seen Westley. The part I didn't tell my friends.   
It was a few days before I was going to leave. The tree's leaves had started to turn. Yellow was filling them where green used to live. I was in the park, walking with Westley. Hand in hand. I refused to think about the future, and had my mind set in the here and now. We stopped under the same tree as always. It would always be my favorite place. He looked at me, as if he had something to say, and I already knew what it was. I didn't want to hear it, though. I just wanted to stay in that world we'd created. I knew I'd miss it.   
"Minako," he started. I didn't want to listen, but I still looked up at him. His brown hair spiked up in front, "I…" he started but couldn't find the words to say.   
"I know." I told him. "I know. You don't need to say it." He leaned forward, and gave me a long, tight hug. I didn't want it to end. "Love is everywhere, and in every corner, and it's waiting to be found. All you have to do is invite it in," I whispered to him. "Does it have to be over? Can't we…" I knew we couldn't.   
When he pulled away, his eyes fell into mine, "keep in mind, Minako, we are under the same sky, no matter where we are, and the night, it is, and always will be as empty for me as for you."   
That, that was the last time I saw him. I always think to myself now, if I made one mistake, it wasn't in loving you, it was in thinking that someday, someday you'd love me too. Before I fall asleep, the last words I ever spoke to him ran through my head, "And of all the things I won't forget, I couldn't ever forget you. Not even if I tried." 


End file.
